Nadia L. Radwan

Background/Objectives: Given the growing need for prenatal care, Nordic Walking (NW) is a promising intervention for maintaining maternal physical activity and quality of life (QoL). We aimed to investigate the influence of NW on gait kinematics, pelvic girdle pain, low back pain (LBP), and QoL during pregnancy. Methods: This is a single-blind randomized controlled trial. A total of 44 pregnant women aged 20 to 40 years with 13–28 weeks of gestation and mild to moderate musculoskeletal pain were included. Participants were randomly assigned to either the study (NW) group or the control group. The study group received the NW program for 12 weeks, three sessions per week, each lasting 45 min. The control group received standard prenatal care plus 30 min of moderate walking three days a week. The GAITRite system was used to measure gait kinematics, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and the SF-36 for QoL were administered at baseline, the fourth week, and the twelfth week. Results: NW significantly improved gait kinematics and reduced musculoskeletal pain (p < 0.001) with improvements in pain and gait speed exceeding the previous reported MCID thresholds. QoL improved across all SF-36 domains in the NW group (p < 0.001) compared with the control group, with large effect sizes observed for the primary outcomes. Conversely, the control group experienced declines in several QoL domains, including energy/fatigue and emotional well-being, despite moderate walking exercise and standard prenatal care over 12 weeks. Conclusions: NW may represent an effective prenatal exercise regimen associated with improved gait, reduced pain, and better overall QoL compared with moderate exercise, consistent with standard prenatal care.

Background: Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training has gained popularity as a novel training strategy in athletes and rehabilitation settings in recent years. Objective: To investigate whether BFR as a stand-alone treatment would affect muscle strength, dynamic balance, and physical function in female patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Methods: Thirty-nine patients with CAI were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 groups: BFR as a stand-alone (BFR) group, BFR with rehabilitation (BFR+R) group, and rehabilitation (R) group. All groups trained 3 times per week for 4 weeks. One week before and after the intervention, strength of muscles around ankle joint, 3 dynamic balance indices: Overall Stability Index, Anterior-Posterior Stability Index, and Medial-Lateral Stability Index, and physical function were assessed via an isokinetic dynamometer, the Biodex Balance System, and the Foot and Ankle Disability Index, respectively. Results: The strength of muscles around ankle and dynamic balance indices improved significantly in BFR + R and R groups (P < .006), but not in BFR group (P > .006). All dynamic balance indices showed improvement in BFR + R and R groups except the Medial-Lateral Stability Index (P > .006). Foot and Ankle Disability Index increased significantly in BFR + R and R groups (P < .006), however; no improvement occurred in BFR group (P > .006). Conclusions: The BFR as a stand-alone treatment hasn’t the ability to improve the strength of muscles around the ankle, dynamic balance, and physical function in females with CAI compared to the BFR + R or the R program. In addition, the strength of muscles around the ankle correlated significantly with both dynamic balance and physical function in BFR + R and R groups.